


The Tale of Hase-hime & Princess Kaguya

by Yukitsune



Series: DiaMari Week 2018 [1]
Category: Love Live! School Idol Festival (Video Game), Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Fairy Tale Retellings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-06-08 01:43:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15232602
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yukitsune/pseuds/Yukitsune
Summary: Not all fairytales have a hardworking princess, an evil stepmother, a series of trials and tests of will, a larger destiny to fulfil, and a fairy godmother. This tale, however, comes close.Dia has been working to support her sister ever since their parents passed away. With a superior that constantly tests her patience (and her resistance) and office politics hanging over her head, life isn't a fairy tale. As far as Ruby is concerned, her sister is absolutely wrong about that.





	The Tale of Hase-hime & Princess Kaguya

**Author's Note:**

> Written for DiaMari Week 2018 Day 1 - Fairy tales + Hurt/Comfort  
> I think I kind of took the prompt in a weird way so it may not exactly fit the prompt. Yet, I had so much fun coming up with the ideas because I love Japanese legends and fairytales. I apologise for the quality since I didn't have time to edit this. Hope you guys enjoy reading it!

The sound of running water in the next room woke her. Rubbing the drowsiness from her eyes, Ruby reached for her phone in the darkness. The bright screen lit up the space around her and her eyes were drawn to the numbers on her screen. 

6.00am. 

Half an hour earlier than usual. She breathed out a sigh. Her first lecture of the day was in 3 hours. She had half a mind to go back to sleep but she knew how anxious her sister could get. It was best not to let her worry by disrupting the routine. She raised her arms above her head in a quick stretch, and crawled out of the warm sanctity of her covers. The sudden drop in temperature made her shiver and she wondered how her sister could stand the cold shower so early in the morning. Giving a bow of respect to the photographs of her late parents on the mantle, she flicked on the lights in the kitchen and went to work. 

Breakfast was usually made by her sister, but ever since Dia accepted a new job offer, she had been a lot more stressed and busy. Being diagnosed with anaemia meant she couldn’t handle a lot of physically strenuous work, but making bentos and breakfast was one way she could make Dia’s life easier. It also helped that having home-cooked meals together reminded her that she still had a family. 

It was selfish of her to think that way, since Dia’s reason for working so hard was because she had to support both of them. Yet, she missed having a sister who told her stories about princesses living in kingdoms far away, going for adventures and meeting their Prince Charmings. Ruby had always been enchanted by the story of Hase-hime. When she was younger, she would repeatedly ask for more stories about the kind-hearted princess and how she managed to outsmart her mean step-mother, Terute-hime. Even the shorter stories which included Hase-hime playing the koto and writing poetry that saved the kingdom. It came to a point where her sister had laughed and said that she would have to actually continue the stories herself because she had repeated them so many times. Dia hardly even smiled nowadays, much less laughed.

Somewhere along the way, Dia had lost the curious and innocent sparkle in her eyes and replaced it with a cold and hard glare which she turned on anyone who stood in her path. It scared Ruby when she was faced with her sister as a disciplinarian, but she knew that it was Dia’s way of caring for her. She just hoped that her sister would take better care of herself too. Ever since she had gotten promoted, she had been working harder than ever. Apart from asking about her classes, most of their conversations included at least one new incident where she was frustrated with her new boss. Ruby would have joked that even Hase-hime had to face Terute-hime to succeed if not for how fired up her sister was. In any case, she seemed determined to find opportunities to outsmart her. Just then, her ears picked up the faint footfalls coming down the stairs, which signaled the arrival of her sister. 

“Good morning, onee-chan!” She called out. Looking down at the bento box which was almost complete, she estimated she had around 10 minutes to get it ready before her sister had to rush off to work. “I used your favorite tea leaves today so please have some tea before you go.” 

“Good morning, Ruby.” Engrossed in flipping through papers contained in a huge folder, Dia sat down and sipped her tea quietly. 

She had just received a new proposal from one of the CEOs the night before and she had to present her opinions even though she had less than 24 hours to look through a 457 page proposal. Having a secretary hand the folder to her after work hours had been a sly move on her superior’s part because she had a lot less time to prepare. Yet, the resentment translated into motivation for her to find as many faults with the proposal as possible. If they wanted to play this game, she would play it by their rules, and win.

“Onee-chan, your food is getting cold.” Dia snapped her file shut quickly, having realised how late it had gotten. She quickly pushed the papers to the side and started eating the dishes. The silence made Ruby noticeably uncomfortable and she took pity on her.

“Have you finished preparing for your class later?” At her sudden question, Ruby jumped slightly, even though it was barely noticeable. Dia decided not to comment on it. 

“Yes, I did my pre-seminar readings as well.” Ruby hoped her smile was reassuring enough, but it was hard to do so while she drank her tea and chewed on her food at the same time. She took a larger sip of tea to wash the food down and was grateful that her sister hadn’t found fault with her eating habits. Their mother had been more strict with Dia so she was definitely more lady-like in the way she ate. Her sister always chewed one piece of food at a time and drank tea in separate mouthfuls. Ruby thought if anyone watched them eat together, they would not see any resemblance. 

“That’s good. You need to study hard and do your best, okay?” Finishing the last of her tea, Dia placed her chopsticks back together and thanked her for the meal. She reached for her file and slipped the bento box into her bag. “I’m heading out.” 

“Have a good day!” Ruby called out after her. The front door shut softly and she was left alone again. She looked at the leftovers and sighed to herself. They had been taught to finish whatever food that was cooked, but lately there had been more and more “exceptional circumstances”. She had hoped her sister would get her appetite back once she got more settled in, but it had been three months. Lost in thought, she pushed the chairs back into place and heard a dull thud.

Frowning, she bent to her knees to peer under the table, where she noticed a thin manilla envelope. Her eyes widened and she quickly messaged her sister.

~~~

The elevator doors glided open as the bell prompted Dia to exit the constricted space. With one hand still clutching onto her folder, she typed out a reply to her sister as she made her way towards the office. She had been running on both tea and coffee for the past few days and it must have affected her such that she didn’t even notice that one of the annexes was missing. At least the board meeting was in the afternoon so she had time to plan. She inwardly thanked the universe for Ruby, who messaged her almost immediately after she discovered the file. They had arranged to meet during lunch at a nearby cafe after Ruby’s class, and Dia felt a small weight lift off of her chest. 

As much as her sister enjoyed offhandedly referring to her as Hase-hime, she was far from royalty.

Kurosawa Dia didn’t believe in fairy tales. It was her persistent belief that things like hoping for a prince to come riding on a white horse to rescue her was a huge waste of time. Therefore, it brought her great disdain to know that Ruby continued to believe in fantastical notions like fairytales. Her younger sister only saw the best in people and that worried her.

After the car accident which took her parents away, Dia had to take over as head and breadwinner of the family. Being young and a woman, she learned the hard way that people in the corporate world would take advantage of any perceived weakness. There was no place for idealistic visionaries, much less princes and princesses who fought against evil witches. The real world had no good and evil. Humans were guided by their own laws of right and wrong, and more often than not, they were willing to make choices which hurt others, for their own gain. More than anything, she needed to protect her sister from any harm, as long as she could. That included chiding her for spending her free time musing over fairytales instead of reading proper books to further her thinking. 

“GOOD MORNING EVERYONE~!” The jarring exclamation made Dia’s blood boil before her eyes fell on the person who made the statement. She worked there long enough to identify the source of her annoyance. Sure enough, a familiar wisp of blonde hair strode into the office as if she owned the place. To be fair, Ohara Mari was the CEO and her father was the chairperson and director, so she was pretty much the princess of the company. 

Dia’s interview had been personally conducted by Mari’s father. As a newcomer with a lack of experience in the industry, she had no clue how she managed to impress him, but he decided to give her a chance. Since then, she had been working non-stop, even during weekends and holidays. She had just received a promotion four weeks earlier, which got her transferred to the head office where all the high level executives worked. Rumours had already spread within her office that she was one of the prime contenders for the next Chief Operating Officer. That would mean a raise in salary, which could help support Ruby’s education and future expenses. Hence, she swallowed her pride. 

“Did you have a good night yesterday? ... that’s good to hear! ... Oh no, I didn’t sleep much at all!” As the CEO made her way around the office, the usual round of greetings and small talk followed. It was like a parade of people who sucked up to one another. Dia tried to block out most of her conversations since they were not of much value. She wasn’t deliberately listening. The blonde had a prominent voice which carried over the other murmurs of the office, so she was difficult to ignore. Not to mention, she had this air about her where it looked as if she was trying to prove that she was a personable superior. Although Dia felt that she mostly flirted with the senior executives and showed off her success to the other people like her who were too low on her radar to attract any attention. She forced herself to continue looking at the tables of numbers on her computer screen and verify the liabilities listed, which helped her logical side take over. 

“Kurosawa Dia.” Said girl looked up from her desktop in response, with slight irritation. Her boss had a tendency to drag out the syllables of her name in a way that made it sound foreign to her ears. She didn’t like it at all. “My, my, you look grumpy. Had a rough night?” 

“It was fine. Thank you.” Every morning, Dia would give the same half-hearted response, no matter what Mari threw at her. However, this time, Dia thought she saw something like concern flicker across the blonde’s gaze but she dismissed it. Perhaps it was due to the fact that she hadn’t slept more than a few hours the night before. Ohara Mari was known for her display of emotions but that’s all it was. She was just another rich princess who wanted to use others to her benefit. More than anything, Dia didn’t want to be associated or indebted to people like that. 

“Well if that’s what you’re into, I’m not going to judge.” Dia resisted the urge to roll her eyes but she gripped her computer mouse just a bit tighter. Assuming that Mari would finally leave her alone to work, Dia almost jumped as the next words were spoken directly into her ear. “Although, just between you and me, having it rough is my idea of a good time too.” 

Her words had an immediate effect on Dia and her cheeks turned pink. It took extra effort to halt her mind from conjuring up too many explicit images of her boss; not that she even wanted to think of the blonde in such an improper manner. Dia wasn’t sure how she could be so furious and still end up blushing, but it was a horrifying and embarrassing combination. She refused to respond verbally but her reaction seemed to satisfy Mari because the other girl smirked in a cat-like way and wished her a good day ahead. 

Dia waited for her to saunter into her office and shut the door before breathing out a curse. She really hated that woman. 

~~

Ohara Mari was a strong believer in fairy tales. Growing up, her father had always called her his little princess. Her early years were spent in Italy but she barely remembered life before Japan. After she followed her father to Japan, she had spent the rest of her childhood living in a huge mansion with personal maids to attend to her every need and request. Intelligent and beautiful, she had no shortage of suitors at her doorstep. She was thankful that her father could be persuaded to decline any arranged marriages and after a few months of convincing, gave her the freedom to choose someone that matched her standards. She could tell that he was getting impatient though. 

It wasn’t as if she had not been trying. The parade of “visitors” at the office was certainly proof of her efforts, although she would admit that it was mostly a show for her father. However, none of them managed to captivate her interest long enough for her to consider dating them. Giving her suitors various tests to verify their sincerity and character seemed like a particularly insensitive way to view romance, but as far as she was concerned, she had a greater destiny than just being a housewife. She was going to take over for her father some day and bring the company to new heights. She would make a difference in her own way and that was her destiny. Hence, she needed a partner who would be her equal and not treat her like a subordinate. 

As the CEO (and the daughter of the Chairman), she was allowed to leave the office early so she could beat the lunch crowd. It was a privilege she enjoyed exploiting every now and then, especially when it incited the envy of her co-workers. There was, admittedly, one particular co-worker who she enjoyed teasing a bit more than the rest. Ironically, she was also the most out of her reach. Handpicked by the Chairman, Kurosawa Dia was easily one of the most capable employees in the office. Being one of youngest and most hardworking, she was feared and respected amongst the other employees. The only reason why she hadn’t instantly been made COO was due to her age. What she lacked in experience, she made up for in intelligence and determination. 

Mari had been sipping her latte slowly when she heard the familiar sound of her car alarm. Frowning, she stood up and glanced out the window to see what had set off the car alarm. She was surprised to see a young girl standing next to her car, frantically trying to figure out what she had done. She rolled her eyes; hopefully she hadn’t scratched her car. By the time she stepped out of the cafe, people on the street had already begun to stare. Mari swiftly turned off the alarm with her phone to reduce the amount of attention drawn to them. 

“Ah, uhm, I’m really sorry! I was looking at my phone earlier so I tripped over the curb and knocked into your car.” Mari expected the stranger to run away the moment she saw her, so the fact that she apologised and seemed genuinely concerned made her want to forgive the girl. “Is your car alright? I didn’t see any scratches or dents after I got up...” 

Now that the girl was standing in front of her, Mari took a few seconds to study her. She looked to be a few years younger than her. The girl had striking red hair that was tied up into half ponytails, which was unusual for her age, but it was her striking green eyes which looked somewhat familiar that caught her attention. She didn’t seem like a bad person. 

“I don’t see any damage done. However, you did interrupt my lunch time. Since time is money, you can pay for my meal as compensation!” Mari said, in as serious a voice as she could muster. She looked easy to tease, so she couldn’t resist. 

“Piggi!” The tiny girl’s eyes widened and she let out a squeak. She frantically searched through her bag looking for her wallet. Realising that she took her seriously, she quickly put a stop to her worries. 

“It’s a joke! Don’t worry, I’m not going to make you pay for anything.” 

“Thank you... I’m sorry for the trouble...” The girl trailed off, so Mari realised she was asking for her name. Normally, she would hesitate, but she couldn’t think of any reason why she should hide her name this time. The chances of meeting this girl again were minuscule. 

“Oh, you can call me Mari! What’s your name?” 

“Kurosawa Ruby. It’s nice to meet you.” Mari paused when she heard her last name. Kurosawa was an old name, so it was relatively uncommon. The only other Kurosawa she knew was the ice princess of her office, who was almost the complete opposite of Ruby. It must have been a funny coincidence that their last names shared the same pronunciation. Maybe someday she could bring it up to tease her about it. 

“Likewise! I’m still mid-way through lunch if you’d like to sit down for a bit.” 

“A-ah, I’m actually- Well, I have to go soon because I’m meeting my sister for lunch. She only has an hour for her lunch break.” 

“Oh, you better get going then. Maybe we’ll meet again someday.” 

Ruby waved at her before running out of the cafe. Mari smiled back before turning back to her latte. She took a long sip after she realized it was no longer hot. The sweetness was still dancing on her tongue when she returned to the office. 

Time to get back to work.

~~~

Mari was having a bad day. The most recent board meeting hadn’t gone as expected and to top it off, she had gotten an embarrassing lecture from her father. 

She had taken months of research and compilation of data in order to come up with her proposal. She was almost certain that it was a fool-proof way to introduce the company to a new market. Hence, it had come as a shock for her father to deem it not feasible and dismiss her entirely. Humiliated, she stormed into his office and demanded an explanation. 

As he listed out the various faults of the proposal, the amount of detail and concise reasoning made her realise that there was only one person in the office who could have dedicated such a large amount of time and effort to find fault with a proposal. The realisation that her father trusted Dia more than her, infuriated her. 

“Her opinion and counter proposal was sound and objective. There was no reason to doubt the logic of her argument.” Her father spoke calmly, which only fueled Mari’s irritation. “There will be other opportunities but right now, she’s right. There’s too much at stake and this is an unknown frontier.” 

“I spent months working on this proposal. She’s had less than 24 hours and all she did was find fault with it! How are you still backing her up?” 

“You know very well that she’s more capable than what you’re implying. You should know better than to make such rash remarks, especially at the office.” Before Mari could retort and say something that she might regret, a knock on the door drew her attention away. To her horror, Dia entered the room with a neutral expression that unnerved Mari. Had she heard everything? For a minute, she wondered whether she should apologise for indirectly discrediting her worth, but Dia didn’t do so much as glance at her. Quickly feeling that she had overstayed her welcome, she bowed and excused herself quietly. 

As she sat at her usual table, she stirred her drink idly and stared at her social media page. She had been ranting to one of her high school friends who had been sympathetic to her situation. Her father used to chastise her for mixing business with emotions, but she couldn’t help it. Being passionate about something gave her the motivation to dedicate every ounce of energy she had into an idea. However, it was never her intention to deliberately hurt anyone. At the sound of a familiar high pitched squeak, she looked up. It was the red head who knocked into her car earlier, except she was now being intimidated by another customer. She looked extremely uncomfortable and if Mari strained her ears, she could just pick up pieces of their conversation. 

“Ah, I’m just here to get a drink-”

“Perfect, I’ll buy you a drink and you can sit down with me.”

“Uh-uhm, I don’t-” 

“Ruby-chan! You’re finally here! I’ve been waiting for you, you should have just come over.” Mari smoothly cut into the conversation and smiled at Ruby. The young girl looked up gratefully and let herself be pulled away. To Mari’s surprise, Ruby half-turned and bowed in apology as they walked away. Mari wasn’t often surprised, yet she had a feeling that Her genuine innocence made her feel protective of her, yet exasperated as well. She wondered if this was how Ruby’s sister felt all the time. 

“Mari-chan! That was so cool! You were like a princess charming instead of a prince.” 

“You’re too sweet Ruby-chan,” Mari laughed as she passed the menu to her and gestured for her to order what she liked. “Do you have a favourite princess or story?” 

“Ah! My favourite princess is Hase-hime, but I think my favourite story is the tale of Princess Kaguya.” 

“Oh, interesting choices. They’re quite different, aren’t they? Doesn't Princess Kaguya have a sad ending?” 

“In a way, their stories are different, but I think that both of them were really inspirational in the way they figured out how to solve their problems.” Ruby stopped to thank the waiter who served the iced strawberry tea she ordered. “Princess Kaguya had a good heart and even though she was only on earth for a while, she was a blessing to others. She left earth with a lighter heart because she served her time here well and had a greater destiny ahead. Hase-hime worked hard to succeed even though circumstances were against her and she didn't consider herself as anything amazing but she still had a destiny and responsibility that she fulfilled... I’m sorry, I’m talking too much about fantasy characters again.” 

Startled, Mari immediately waved her off. “No, no! I’m happy to see you passionate about something. Plus, you finally spoke with confidence.”

“Ah... My onee-chan says I spend too much time dwelling on things that don’t exist in real life.” 

“Ouch.” Mari winced. She sounded like a typical chiding older sister. “Well, technically, although the characters are fictional, those qualities and personalities can exist in real people.” 

“Yes! I tell my onee-chan that she’s like Hase-hime all the time, but she doesn’t believe me.” Ruby said with a small frown appearing on her forehead. “She’s kind, beautiful, intelligent and talented. She’s just facing her Terute-hime challenge now so she’s troubled.”

“Terute-hime is like the evil step-mother in her case, right?” 

The younger girl giggled before nodding. “I wouldn't say she’s evil though. Onee-chan just has a lot of frustrations with her boss, but I think half of it is a result of her frustration at herself. Onee-chan’s the type who cares more than she can express, so she puts in a lot of effort for something she cares about and she becomes very intense.” 

Ruby had a nostalgic look on her face which displayed more maturity than Mari had expected from someone of her age. She realized that although Ruby seemed to talk about her sister, she never mentioned her parents. However, it would be rude of her to ask, so she changed the topic. 

“Your onee-chan really means a lot to you, doesn’t she?” 

“She’s the best onee-chan in the world!” Ruby’s face became aglow as the love and affection for her sister seemed to exude from her eyes. It made Mari wish she had a younger sister. 

“Only because she has the best younger sister.” The young girl positively beamed with pride at the notion. Mari couldn’t help but smile along with her. Her previous worries were temporarily forgotten as they casually conversed. Ruby was genuinely like the sibling she never had, and she felt fortunate to meet her. She briefly wondered how similar her sister was to her, and whether she was pretty. 

“If you’d like to meet her, I can ask her to come and meet me here after work one of these days.” Ruby’s eyes were gleaming with excitement as Mari realised she had accidentally said her musings out loud. “I think she’d like you.” 

“If she’s half as amazing as you say, I think I’d like her too.” 

“Hehe, then leave it to me!” 

~~ 

A few weeks ago, Ruby had mentioned something about becoming friends with someone whom she described as “Princess Kaguya” but Dia didn’t pay much attention to it. She had assumed that it was one of her school friends who decided to play into her fantasies as a princess. 

That is, until she received a call from an unknown number to inform her that her sister had fainted and had been brought to the hospital. She had dropped her things and rushed over from the office meeting, her hair slightly undone and papers stuffed into her office briefcase. The hospital staff directed her to the waiting room where she had to wait for he nurse but she pointedly ignored them and went to the emergency room by stating that she was her only blood-relative. 

Mari was surprised to see Dia push through the emergency doors, her usually schooled expression frantic with worry. It was easy to guess that she had just ran from the office because she was still wearing her blazer and heels. She stopped when she saw Mari and her expression turned into a displeased frown. Mari felt like shrinking back but resisted the urge. She was just Kurosawa Dia. The girl she had been teasing for months because she hadn’t ever looked her way. Coincidentally, the girl whom she had initially linked to Ruby, but dismissed due to her ice princess mentality. It seemed like destiny had other plans for her. 

“You!?” 

“What do you mean “you”? I’m your superior!” Feeling indignant, Mari retorted. 

“Ohara-san, I don’t have time to deal with you now. My sister fainted and I need to find her.” 

“You’re Ruby-chan’s sister?”

“Are you really the person who sent her here?” 

“Are you really her sister?” 

“Do I have to prove myself to you for this too?” Dia’s voice was growing more shrill by the second and Mari realized this was not the time or place to air their grievances. 

“No. I was just surprised. She’s in the second room down the hall. I’ll take you to her.” 

“I don’t need you to bring me anywhere.” Mari flinched at the brashness of her tone and stepped back. She had probably overstepped some invisible boundary that Dia used to protect her family. Realizing that the other girl didn’t mean her any harm, Dia felt a slight pang of regret.

“How do you even know her? She doesn’t usually interact with strangers.”

“She’s my friend. We frequent the same cafe while she waits for you during your lunch break. I never realized that you’re the sister she kept talking about.”

“I wouldn’t expect someone with your high standards to know that.” Mari bit her lip, feeling slightly chastised. This was what her papa had warned her about when he lectured her about acting rashly. She should have guessed that Dia had heard everything. She was surprised again when Dia sighed and spoke again. “I’m sorry, Ohara-san. That was uncalled for. Thank you for taking care of my sister, I’m very grateful that you were there for her.” 

Mari remembered Ruby talking about how difficult it was for Dia to express her feelings honestly and she felt touched by the effort. She suddenly seemed less out of her reach and more real. Perhaps it was due to the amount of things she had unintentionally learnt from Ruby, but it made her feel closer to Dia. She didn't know whether to be happy to know that the girl she had half fallen for just by learning about her, was actually the same girl she had half fallen for in real life. It was like a modern fairytale. 

“I know you hate me, but I’m here for you too.” 

“I don’t hate you.” Mari stared at her and raised her eyebrows. Dia conceded with an awkward smile. “Well, maybe I have some reservations about your work ethics...”

“I could say the same about you.” They shared a laugh and it felt like the atmosphere lightened up just a little.

“I suppose we can work on that in future.” As she spoke, Dia seemed to relax more into the seat next to her. The smile she gave Mari was small but genuine and it warmed her heart. Mari felt her own smile form when she heard the plural form. It dawned on her that she just called the ice princess ‘warm’ in her head. She wanted to giggle at herself for even calling her that. Dia was a very private and complex person and she wanted to learn each of her complexities one by one. Mari had never experienced love but she was almost certain that the feelings that she felt when she looked at Dia were the beginnings of it.

They were interrupted as the nurse came out of the room and called out Dia’s name. It brought them back to reality as they remembered their reason for being there. The brunette stood up, with a hint of disappointment on her features that she quickly hid when Mari got up as well. As she turned to go, she bowed to Mari and thanked her once again. Suddenly, Mari had a chilling thought that their previous conversation would be forgotten by the next day. Or rather, she didn’t want to give Dia the chance to drop their relationship before she had the chance to fight for it. Mari stepped forward. She had to do something to show that she was serious. 

“Dia, in the spirit of managing our work ethics, perhaps we can drop the formalities and start over?” Stunned at the sound of her first name being called, Dia froze and half turned to look at her superior. For once, Mari didn’t look like the haughty princess who was trying to show off. She actually looked awkward, as if she had never dropped the suffixes for anyone. Dia smiled, maybe she could get used to hearing her name like that. 

“...I’ll see you at the office tomorrow, Mari-san.” Mari’s resulting smile lit up her face and Dia suddenly saw the resemblance. It’s no wonder Ruby called her Princess Kaguya. She inadvertently blushed when she realized she had been staring, and Mari’s grin grew even wider. Somehow, Dia didn’t find it as irritating as before. 

“Please take care of me in future, Dia. I’m looking forward to working with you.”

“Likewise.” Dia’s cheeks were slightly pink as she followed the nurse into the hospital room. However, her attention was now focused on what the nurse was saying. She had to be an older sister now; she couldn’t just think of herself. The separation curtain was pulled aside and she heard a small gasp of “Onee-chan!” before a rush of footsteps followed and Dia ran to hug her sister. 

Turning around, Mari found herself smiling as she left the hospital. Dia was really cute when she got embarrassed. It made her curious about all the other expressions she could make. She hoped she would have the chance to find out. Nothing was set in stone, but at least she knew that this story had another chapter waiting to be written. 

She made it down the block before she received a message from Ruby telling her to take care of her sister, with Dia’s private number and a smiley emoticon attached to it. 

It wasn't “ever after”, but for now things were “happy”, and that was what mattered.


End file.
